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Surprise figures have emerged showing footballers who supposedly moved for well below their ‘true’ market value this summer, with Raheem Sterling top of the pile.

Despite Manchester City forking out a staggering £49million for the former Liverpool winger, it seems they may have actually underpaid for him by £23.2m, if this data is anything to go by.

Although there is plenty of emphasis on the crazy money thrown around in modern football, these bargain deals of the summer suggest clubs still know how to get value for money in the transfer market.

Here are the top five involving Premier League clubs:

5. Gerard Deulofeu (Everton) Underpaid by: £5.5m

Deulofeu joined Everton on a permanent deal (Picture: Getty)

Arriving for a second spell at Everton, Gerard Deulofeu looks an exciting signing from Barcelona, who were seemingly happy to let the forward go on the cheap after his failure to break into the first-team.

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Despite being valued by CIES at £9.8m, the Spanish starlet ended up moving for a reported £4.3m.

4. Connor Wickham (Crystal Palace) Underpaid by: £5.7m

Wickham in action for new club Crystal Palace (Picture: Getty)

Supposedly worth as much as £12.9m, Connor Wickham was seemingly undervalued by his old club Sunderland this summer as they sold him to Crystal Palace for £7.2m.

Those who watched him play at the Stadium of Light may not be so surprised he didn’t bring in a particularly big fee!

3. Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) Underpaid by: £7m

Liverpool beat other clubs to Clyne on the cheap (Picture: Getty)

Despite being one of the most in-demand players on the market this summer, it would seem Liverpool managed some smart business here as they poached Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton.

Worth £17.7m according to CIES, the England defender moved to Anfield for just £10.7m.

2. Robin van Persie (Fenerbahce) Underpaid by: £8.2m

Numbers suggest Man Utd sold Van Persie too cheap (Picture: Getty)

With a market value of £12.2m, Robin van Persie may have been sold a little hastily by Manchester United, with many fans questioning the wisdom of letting the Dutchman go at a relatively stage.

Given that he only brought in a £3.9m transfer fee from Fenerbahce, this does look like rash business by United.

1. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) Underpaid by: £23.2m

Was Sterling actually a bargain at £49m? (Picture: Getty)

One of the most expensive transfers of the whole summer, CIES suggests that Raheem Sterling’s true market value was actually £69.05m, meaning Manchester City did well to get him for a reported initial fee of between £44-49m.

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One of the more questionable evaluations by CIES, Sterling has surely not achieved enough in the game so far to warrant a value not far off what Barcelona paid Liverpool for Luis Suarez last year.